Package-vending machine



Dec. 31, 1929. 5, NEMETH 1,741,728

PACKAGE VENDING MACHINE Filed Fe 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet l //v%/v Tag Dec.31, 1929. s. P. NEMETH 1,741,728

PACKAGE VENDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 6, 1928 s Sheets-Sheet 2 JMJMPatented Dec. 31, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STEFFEN I. NEMETH, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO LOUIS J. LOENNEKE AND HERMAN BOOK,COPARTNERS DOING BUSINESS AS EDMANSON-BOCK CATERING COM- PANY, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS PACKAGE-VENDING MACHINE Application filed February 6,1928. Serial No. 252,274.

This invention relates to vending machines of the coin-controlled typeand more particularly to package vending machines. One object is toprovide amachine of this type that is selective so that any package,located at any point in the machine, may be released when desired andwithout disturbing any of the other packages. A further object is toprovide a machine of this type that is theftproof, positive andeflicient in operation and cheap to manufacture. A still further objectis to provide a machine that may be used as a counter machine, that is,disposed upon a show counter or that may be suspended from the wall upona hook or the like, that is of light weight and attractive inappearance.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter fullydescribed, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings which form a part of this application for patentand in which Fig. 1 is a view of the machine in front elevation.

Fig. 2 is aside view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the machine, the face platebeing removed.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of the machine in front elevation andpartly in section, the face plate being removed.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of Fig. 5 illustrating thesliding door feature.

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view through the machine taken on oneside of the drum partition.

Fig. 8 is a like view taken on the opposite side of that partition.

Figs. 9 and 10 are detail sectional views taken, respectively, on lines9-9 and 1010 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, of the drum disclosingthe openings through which the pockets are filled with packages.

Like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout theseveral views,

The machine comprises a drum having a stationary front or face plate anda rotary back plate that is integral with or operatively secured to aplurality of package pockets arranged in a circle that completelyencircle the drum, the drum, back plate and pockets being encompassed bya casing having windows through which the contents of the packagepockets are clearly visible, the drum being provided, further, with avertical partition that, together with the face and back plates carriesthe actuating mechanism for the package pockets, the casing beingprovided either with a supporting base or With hook-receivingperforations to permit its support by an upright or the like.

The reference numeral 1 denotes the annular drum body formed with aninwardly extending flange 2 and a reverse or outwardly extending flange3 and to the latter the flange 4 of the casing 5 is secured by screws 6and alternating with said screws 6 are perforations 7 in the flange 4 toreceive the cam bolts 8 that secure the face plate 9 to the casing, thematerial of the flange 3 being perforated in alignment with theperforations 7 to permit unobstructed passage of said cam bolts.

The casing 1 comprises a removable back 10 formed with an inwardlyextending flange 11 formed with four angular slots 12 spaced 90 degreesapart to releasably receive the four similarly placed pins 13 of thecasing, said flange 11 being formed also with the wide curved recess 14affording clearance for the bolt 15 of the lock 16 whereby the back andeasing proper may be releasably secured to gether.

Secured by studs 17 to the back 10 is an annular casting 18 about theperiphery of which a plurality of rollers 19 ride that are secured toand support the back plate 20 of the drum to which plate the disc 21 issecured by studs 22, said disc being formed with a square centralperforation'23 and peripherally with the teeth 24 spaced apart. To theback plate 20 the stems or handles 25 of the package pockets 26 aresecured, said pockets extending transversely of the periphery of thedrum body 1 about which they rotate as the back plate revolves, said.pockets being equal in number and directly opposite the teeth 24aforesaid.

The drum 1 is formed with two twin transversely extending spacedperforations 27, 28 adapted to align with the mouths of the packagepockets as they are rotated about the drum whereby said pockets may befilled with the packages, the packages being then visible throughwindows 29 in the casing. Arranged for rotation in a bearing in acentral perforation in the face plate 9 is a shaft 30 provided with aknob 31, said shaft extending through the drum, its inner portion beingsquare in cross section, and into the square perforation 23 in the disc21 whereby said disc together with the back plate 20 and pockets 26' iscaused to rotate.

Secured at its ends by angle plates 32 to [the drum is a verticalpartition 33 disposed to one side of the center of the drum. Spacedslightly from the partition 33 by insert pieces 34 is a right hand plate35, a coin passageway 36 being formed between the members 33, and thetop spacer pieces 34, 34. Spaced slightly from the partition -33 by aspacer piece 37 is a left hand plate 38. The right hand plate is formedwith an elongated obliquely disposed slot 39 and spaced slightlytherefrom with a vertical slot 40 and spaced laterally and slightlydownward from the lower end thereof with an arcuate slot 41, a reboundblock 42 being adjustably secured to the partition 33 immediately belowthe lower end of the "ight hand plate 35. A pin 43 carried by thepartition 33 extends through a perforation in the plate 35 and pivotallycarries a tongue 44 suspended bet veen the members 33, 35, the lower endof said tongue depending into the plane of the slot 41 and being visiblethrough said slot, Also disposed below the lower line of the plate 35and in line with the slot 41 is the return chute 45, secured to thepartition 33, that opens into a perforation 46 in the rear wall of thedelivery chute 47, the receiving mouth 48 of which is disposedcontiguous to a transverse perforation 49 in the drum which alignsconsecutively with the mouths of the several package pockets 26 as theyare rotated about the drum, said delivery chute 4. being secured to theface plate 9 and being formed with the delivery mouth that registerswith the delivery mouth 50 in the said plate. The delivery chute isformed at its receiving mouth with the outwardly curved lips 51 thatserve as guards and prevent tampering, by vandals, with the slidingclosure plate 52 for the drum perforation 49, said plate being formedwith ribs or thickened portions 53 that ride in the parallellongitudinal slots 54 in the drum which slots register with the drumperforation 49 and serve as guides for the plate 52 in its movement.

The closure plate 52 is carried by the curved sliding bar 55 formed withthe longitudinal slots 56 through which the guide bolts 57 extend thatslidably secure it to the drum, said bar 55 being formed also with themarginal recess 58 adapted, in one position of the bar, to releasablyreceive the heel 59 of the trigger 6O fulcrumed upon bolt 61 to theparti tion 33, the the upper edge of the plate 35 being formed with amarginal notch 62 to provide clearance for the said heel in itsmovements. The said trigger is formed, further, with the rounded head 63that is connected by contractile spring 64 to the partition 33. A stud65 carried by the sliding bar 55 projects downwardly and through theangular slot 66 in the laterally bent end 67 of the actuating lever 68that rocks back and forth between the partition 33 and the arcuate guidebar 69, secured at its end to the partition, said lever being fulcrumedupon the pin 70 to the partition, the lower or toe-end of said leverextending down between the left hand plate 38 and partition 33 and beingformed with the slightly recessed portion 71, said lever being connectedby a spring 72 to the guide bar 69 to yieldingly retain it in apredetermined position with relation to said guide bar, and the slidingbar 55 being connected by a spring 7 3 to the partition 33.

Secured to the left hand plate 38 is a flanged plate 74, having theflange 7 5, terminating in the laterally extending chute 76 that leadsinto the coin opening 77 in the coin box 78 removably secured by studs79 to the partition 33. Spaced slightly from the plate 74 upon screws 80is the plate 81 between which and the plate 38 along the downwardlybevelled base 82 of an opening 83 in plate 74 the coin 85 travels, whichcoin has come through bevelled perforations 186, 87

in the plates 38, 37, said, coin having been raised into the bevelledopening by a plunger 88 working in a vertical slot 89 in the partition33, said plunger 88 being connected by pin 90 to the hand lever 91fulcrumed upon pin 92 to said partition 33, the said pin 90 beingreceived in an elongated slot 93 in the hand lever, said hand lever uponthe side of its fulcrum opposite to that to which the pin 90 is securedbeing connected by spring 94 to a stud 95 fast in the partition 33, thehandle end of the lever being thereby yieldingly retained in raisedposition, the forward end of the lever being formed with the offsetfinger 96 adapted for contact with the teeth 24 of the disc 21. r

Referring again to the coin 85 which has been received upon the bevelledupper end of the plunger 88', said coin has traveled over the bevelledlower edge of a perforation 9? in the spacer piece 37, having comethrough a perforation 93 in the partition 33 and travelled from the coinpassageway 36 between partition 33 and plate 35 and between insertpieces 34, its path being revealed through the slots 39, 40, 41, whenthe face plate is re moved. The handle of the said lever 91 extends outthrough a perforation 99 in the face plate, formed with an offsetportion 100 so that a slight lateral movement of the face plate relativeto the hand lever is possible when locking and unlocking the machine,this being necessary to properly secure the cam bolts 8 in theperforated portions 7 of the flange 4. The face plate is formed alsowith a coin receiving slot 101 that aligns with the coin passageway 36aforesaid, and with an arrow 102 that points to one Window 29 in thecasing to show when the desired package is in position for delivery. Theface plate is provided with a suitable lock 103 whereby it isi'eleasably secured to the flange 4 of the casing, the lock bolt ridingfirmly against this flange in locked position. The casing may be eithermounted upon a base 104 to which it is secured by screws or otherfastening means or it may be suspended from hooks inserted inhook-receiving perforations in the back 10.

In operation the package desired fordelivery is caused to move into theposition opposite the arrow 102. This is done by rotating the knob 31which causes the square inner portion of the shaft 30 disposed in thesquare opening 23 in the disc 21 to rotate the disc and the packagepockets. With the desired package in position a dime is dropped in thecoin slot 101, the coin passing through the passageway 36 between upperand lower insert pieces 34 and between partition 33 and right hand plate35 and to fall upon the rebound block 42 from which member the dime willbound back between the members 33, 36 and past the slot 41, striking thetongue 44, oscillating the same, and passing over the edge 34 of aninsert piece 34 and through the perforation 98 in the partition 33,through the passageway 97 and will lodge upon the bevelled end of theplunger 88. The handle of the lever 91 is now depressed thus raising theplunger 88 in its slot, the limit of this movement being reached in onedirection when the pin 90 rides against the edge of the left hand plate38 and in the opposite direction when the plunger rides down against theangle plate 32 against which member it is yieldingly retained by theaction of the spring 94 upon the hand lever. The upward movement of theplunger deposits the dime through the inc-lined openings 87 86 and overthe incline 82 and out through the chute 76 into the coin box. Should acoin other than a dime be used it will not rebound properly from theblock 42 and will therefore fail to ride past the slot 41 but will dropfrom between the members 33, 35 into the chute 45 from which it willpass through opening 46 in the chute 47 from which it may be removed bythe clepositor. As the coin rides on top of the plunger 88 it will,after passing through perforations 34, 98 etc. engage with the recessedportion 71 of the actuating lever 68 oscillating it upon its fulcrum andcausing stud 65 to ride through the angular slot 66 in the lever thusmoving the sliding bar 55 to cause the closure plate 52 to uncover thedrum perforation 49 when the package will drop, through gravity, intothe delivery chute 47 from which it may be manually removed. Thissliding movement of the bar 55 will have so positioned its recess 58that it will be occupied by the heel 59 of the trigger thus permittingthe spring 64 to further depress the head 63 of the trigger into suchposition that further rotary movement of the disc 21 will cause one ofthe teeth 24 to contact with the head 63 and raise same to disengage theheel 59 from the recessed portion 58 of the bar 55. The spring 72 willnow return the actuating lever 68 which, together with spring 73, willreturn the sliding bar to position and dispose the closure plate 52agaln over the drum perforation 49. When the package has been evacuatedfrom 1ts pocket the pocket will be shown empty through window 29. Whenthe knob 31 is again rotated a tooth 24 will at once engage with thehead 63 of the trigger and raise it thus releasing the heel 59 from thebar 55, thus closing the plate 52 again. When, for any reason, the

mouth of a pocket containing a desired package is not disposed inalignment with the drum perforation 49 it is but necessary to oscillatethe hand lever which will cause the finger 96 to engage with one of theteeth 24 to slightly move the disc 21 to correctly position and alignthe pocket.

What is claimed is 1. In a package vending maohlne, a perforated drum apackage deliverychute carried thereby, a frame receiving sald drum, arotary multiple package carrier surroundlng said drum and comprising aplurality of pockets arranged peripherally of said drum, packagedelivery mechanism connect ng said drum and package carrier whereby saldpockets may be selectively disposed contiguous to said drum perforation,a sliding door normally closing said drum perforation, and guards forsaid sliding door at the receivlng mouth of said delivery chute.

2. In a package vending machine, a perforated and slotted drum, apackage delivery chute carried thereby, a frame receiving said drum, arotary multiple package carrier surrounding said drum and comprising aplurality of pockets arranged peripherally of said drum, packagedelivery mechanism connecting said drum and package carrier whereby saidpockets may be selectively disposed contiguous to said drumperforations, a sliding door normally closing said drum perforation,

3. In a package Vending machine, a casing, a removable back therefor,means for locking said back and easing together, an annular castingsecured to and spaced from said back, a drum supported in said casingand comprising a back plate, and rollers secured to said back plate andriding about said casting.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto alfixeclmy signature.

STEFFEN P. NEMETH.

